


Bubblegum Aesthetic

by cockabeetle, Kymopoleia



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: F/M, M/M, and he has to act really bubblegum pop, danny is a lil shit, danny is a pop sensation v similar to hannah montana, he and vlad have crushes and think that they are creepy, he even has a wig, he goes so hard and vlad is concerned, he has to fit a certain aesthetic because of his contract, rockstar/producer au, this is the first time either of us has written pomp pep please be gentle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-07-14
Packaged: 2018-04-08 01:38:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4285713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cockabeetle/pseuds/cockabeetle, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kymopoleia/pseuds/Kymopoleia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His word choice was awful and he was awful and if anyone ever found out about his awful crush he would go to jail, hell, and hell jail.</p><p>"Unless I should let you punish me~?" Wait no. Stop, why did you say that. Bad mouth, why.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Star settled into her seat, pulling down her skirt and making sure she looks fine. "You ready? They don't start the cameras until I start the interview." She glances over at her interviewee, a pop sensation by the name of Danny Phantom. His songs were catchy but the lyrics were always... well, the only term she had for them was edgy.

Danny smiles brightly. "I'm ready if you are, Miss Anderson." He swings his feet a little, glancing around the room.

Star smiles at him and nods at the cameraman. He calls that they're on air, and she smiles at Danny. "So, Mr. Phantom- can I call you Danny?" She starts, using a more peppy, higher tone.

Danny bounces. "Of course~ It's my name, isn't it??" He grins a little.

Star laughs, reaching up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "That it would be. And speaking of names, that brings me to my first question. Is Phantom a stage name?"

"Yeah, I mean, whose last name is Phantom?" Danny laughs a little.

She laughs again with him. "True. So what led you to choosing that name? It certainly has a wow factor to it that I, and your fans, love, but what was the thought process behind it?"

"Well, I mean, I needed something that sounded similar enough to my real name so I wouldn't forget it." Danny tells her earnestly. "Plus, like, would you believe me if I said some kids used to call me one as a like, nickname?" Danny grins again.

"Really? Wow. So it's a connection to your childhood?" Her eyes widen. Honestly, Star doesn't entirely believe it, but she'll take what she can get.

Danny nods a little. "Yeah. I mean, it wasn't that long ago, but still. It wasn't a nice nickname or anything. But kids can be mean, yaknow?"

She nods, shifting her expression to a sympathetic one. "I understand. Would you like to talk more about your childhood or would you like to change the subject?"

Danny shrugs. "Either or? My producer made me promise not to use any names, so..."

She has to pause and laugh awkwardly. They're not really supposed to mention producers or rules during interviews. She makes a mental note to talk to him about that later and nods. "Well, if you do want to talk about it, go ahead. If you want to stop talking about it at any time, just let me know. I've got a lot of questions."

"Well do you have any specific questions about my childhood or something? I'm not really good at starting any stories." Danny smiles.

"Alright. Do you have any siblings?" Star internally screams. She hates having to guide talks about home life and childhoods. You should, if you're in this game, already know the script for what to talk about when it comes to family and how you grew up.

Danny shrugs. "Well, my family's always been really big? But I'm not completely sure if they were all cousins or if some were siblings or whatever, my parents took in a bunch of my aunts and uncles' kids a lot of the time. We had a really crowded house."

Star nodded. "And how was your relationship with them? Do you have fond memories of all these siblings and cousins and aunts and uncles?"

"Well, my one Aunt is very happily divorced, she lives in the mountains somewhere near Colorado, I haven't seen her since I was 12. I miss her. Um, my uncle on my dad's side was the biggest meanie, though, like, he hated my parents and everybody in our house. I don't really know why, but otherwise he was pretty cool. He owns a chocolate factory. My oldest sibling-slash-cousin is a psychiatrist, I still talk to her sometimes. She's super cool, but her singing voice is horrible." Danny snickers.

Star laughs. "Wow, you sound like you're very close to all of them. Are we ever going to see them as your plus one's to events? There is a certain awards ceremony coming up that a certain someone has six nominations in..." She leaves the end open for him to reply better.

Danny shrugs. "Maybe! I know my Aunt won't, she hates crowds. But my cousin-the-psychiatrist might. Or maybe I'll bring my little cousin, she's like a tiny-me, she's so cute! I bet she'd love it." Danny bounces a little, excited.

Star laughs. "Aww, she sounds cute. Does she have the same," she gestures at her own hair, hoping he'll get the message. "Is that your natural color?"

Danny blinks, and then he giggles. "Nah, she's got dark hair like my dad. This isn't /exactly/ my natural color, but it's close! I've been thinking about dyeing it, what do you think about a pastel green?"

She looks him over, humming. "Maybe. Only as long as you don't touch anything orange, red, or gold until you change it again, you know?"

"Oh, I know. Hmm. Maybe I should go a neutral color? Or go dark. Hmmm... Ah well, I'll ask Tuck later. He's always got good opinions." Danny nods to himself.

Star nods. "Do whatever you feel like doing. Now, by Tuck, do you mean Tucker Foley, the most mentioned name in the credits on your albums?"

Danny grins. "Yeah, Tuck. He's my best friend."

She smiles. "Do you still talk to him often?"

"Of course. He helps me with my hair sometimes. But he can't do make-up to save his life, it's tragic." Danny holds his heart melodramatically.

Star laughs. "Well, no one can be perfect. Who does your makeup? Do you wear it often?"

"I do, and I do it mostly whenever I feel like it. I drew this star on myself." He taps his cheek, grinning.

"You usually have the star, I assumed it was a tattoo. Do you have any of those?"

Danny shook his head. "Nope, I want a couple, but my dad made me sign a contract saying I couldn't get one until I'm 21 or married, whichever comes first."

"Well, let's hope you find the lucky someone soon." She waggles her eyebrows at him.

Danny blushes a little, but grins. "Maybe. I dunno, haven't met anybody too interesting yet."

Star nods, and decides that the interview has gone well enough that she can afford to ask him the million dollar all-or-nothing question. "So, who would be your ideal partner? Do you have any preferences?"

Danny blinks. "Oh, uh." He breaks character, startled out of it. And then he pulls it back on quickly, blushing. "Um, I don't know if I have an ideal? I mean... the only thing I'd really require in a partner would be like... They have to be taller. Yeah. Taller." He grins, scratching the back of his neck. "Sorry."

Star nods. "Well, lucky for the fans and your future partner, you're not the tallest star in the game. You are one of the brightest, though. Tell me about the process that goes into that, please? Do you write your own music?"

Danny grins. "Oh, yeah, I do. Tuck helps me with word choice and sometimes with a base beat. Tuck's a godsend."

Star laughs. "He sounds wonderful. Do you have any songs that you're working in right now? I know you've been on tour a lot, but there have been rumors of an album dropping sometime within the next few months. Is there any truth to those?"

Danny presses a finger to his lips, grinning. "Oh... I'm not really supposed to say... But... I can say that Tuck and I are always working on new material. Keep the creative juices flowing."

Star grins. "I see. Well, in that case, I'll move on to my next question. What inspired you to become a singer in the first place?"

"Welllll..... I've always wanted to see the stars. I like singing too, and it didn't take much of a stretch to decide to become one."

"By stars," Star shifts, brushing her hair back with her hand. "Do you mean you wanted to do things involving space or that you wanted to spend time with famous people? I mean, I'm pretty sure you weren't thinking of me, but if you were," She flashes her teeth in a quick smile. "Then thank you."

Danny grins. "I meant space, but you were a close second~" He giggles a little. "My sister- the psychiatrist- likes your show, and we watch it together."

Star blinks, then smiles sincerely. "Really? Well, if you ever get a chance, introduce us and I can have a chance to talk to her, alright? From what you've told me she sounds like a wonderful person."

Danny grins. "I'm sure she'd love that."

Star nods. "Is there anything you wanted to talk about? If you've seen the show before, you know there's always room for your output."

"Yeah... I don't really know what to talk about? I'm still really new to this stuff. I've talked about my family, my ambitions, my music, my friend... I dunno what else?"

"What are your hobbies, your personal interests? It can't all be pop music and your fans, you know?"

Danny laughs a little. "Well... I do have a bit of free time, around the writing sessions and the homeschooling Tuck and I get. Mostly we spend that hanging out and reading, or drawing. Tuck's really gotten into his tech... I don't want to call it a fetish, but I can't think of any other words."

Star laughs. "Wow, well tell him that there's a new app coming out for my show that I'd love for him to check out, okay? And if you ever get a chance, send me some of your art, I'd love to see it. I'm really sorry though, but that's all the time we have, can I have a hug before you go?" She smiles and opens her arms.

Danny hops up to hug her, grinning. "Of course~ I'll tell Tuck, too, I bet him and my sister'll love it."

Star hugs him, smiling and closing her eyes for a second. "Come back and see me, okay? I'd love to see how your career progresses, Danny, you're one of the most promising young stars I've seen." She pulls back. "Take care, alright? Thank you for coming out."

Danny grins. "Anytime, Miss Anderson~" He steps back, bouncing. "Thank you for talking with me~"

Star nods. "Anytime, it was a joy to have you." She smiles widely until the cameraman lets them know that the show is on break. She sighs and bends down to grab her water bottle. "Nice work kid, but next time try not to mention producers. Fans hate that. Reminds them that you're not 100% real, you know?" She drops the bubbly tone, voice going a few solid octaves deeper.

Danny grins. "Sure thing. Sorry, still new to this." He rolls back onto his heels, glancing around. "Anything else I have to do?"

"Well, are you really dropping an album in a few months? Just between you and me, of course. I like your music, it's catchy and poppy but it's edgy too, and I really like that. Plus my boyfriend is a total fanboy and I always have to get him your cds before he can get them himself, so a head's up would be nice."

Danny grins. He leans forward to whisper quietly. "Yeah, Tuck and I just finished most of one, it'll be out by the end of this month, I can give you a heads up if you need it?" His grin widens.

Star grins back at him and whispers back. "Totally. Plus, you said your sister likes the show? I'd be happy to give her an all-access pass."

Danny grins. "Jazz'd love that, I'll be happy to let her know. Anyway." Danny steps back, still grinning. "I should really get going, I've got this appointment..."

Star nods back. "I understand, commercial break is only on for another..." She glances at the cameraman. "Three minutes and I need to get Sam Manson ready asafp." She hugs him one more time before pulling out a compact. "Send her in for me, sweetie?" She asks nicely.

Danny grins. "Of course, Miss Anderson, anything for you~" He turns and practically skips out of the room. He spots a girl with black hair and purple make-up, and guesses that she's probably the 'Sam Manson' Star mentioned. "Hey, Miss Anderson said you need to head out. You're Manson, right?" He grins, hoping he guessed right.

Sam looks him over, lips pursed. "Yeah. What are you supposed to be, pastel pop with a side of blah?" She asks. She hadn't watched the previous interview, too anxious about her own, but she hopes that Star Anderson isn't just like this guy.

Danny giggles. "My producer wants me to be. Sells stuff, so I can't complain." He wiggles his fingers in a wave. "Anyway, I've gotta bounce. See you around~!"

Her eyes widen at the contrast between his words and his tone and suddenly Sam has a sharp want to know how deep the contrast goes. She's still thinking about him, whoever he is, when she goes in for her own interview and then later, when she looks him up online. Whoever this 'Danny Phantom' is, he seems like he's more than just some pop sensation, and Sam's want goes from a passing thing to a slight obsession.


	2. Chapter 2

Danny bounces into his producer's office, sliding into his seat and grinning at the older man. "Heeeeyyyy, Vladdie! How's it goin', you sexy old derek?" Danny almost stumbles on his words, but manages to keep going. Why the hell did he call the old man that? Hell. Oh hell. Danny didn't let his expression change, but inside he was trying to figure out where the hell that had come from. Did he actually mean... Hell.

Vlad feels a flush rise up the back of his neck but manages to keep his cool. "I am doing wonderfully, Daniel, have you been a good little pop twink-sation and kept up your end of the deal? I haven't had time to watch your latest interview yet." Vlad knows from the moment it leaves his mouth that he has said the worst thing ever. His word choice was awful and he was awful and if anyone ever found out about his awful crush he would go to jail, hell, and hell jail.

Danny blinks, and then he grins. Ignore his feelings and keep messing with Vlad, that's the best thing right now. "Of course I'm keeping my end of the deal, Vladdie~ Why wouldn't I? You'd punish me. Unless I should let you punish me~?" Wait no. Stop, why did you say that. Bad mouth, why.

Vlad, internally groaning about hell jail, leans forwards, chin on one fist. "Hm, and what punishment would I have to implement? There were none outlined in your contract, so we'd likely have to get creative, hm?"

Danny can feel his face flushing, but he leans forward anyway, smirk still plastered across his face. "Creative's a good start... Do you have anything in mind, Vladdie?" He shouldn't sound so breathy or turned on, shit, this was not what they were supposed to talk about. Should he backpedal? Maybe... maybe after Vlad answers. Yeah, that's a good place to stop, hopefully.

If Vlad's office had never been as warm or his pants as tight as each were in this very moment, Vlad would not have been as turned on as he was now by the teen's teasing. Was Daniel even eighteen yet? God, was he a dirty old man. But he conceals the panic and continues. "I do remember you quite enjoying both the leather and being on your knees in your last music video Daniel. Perhaps we could see about a punishment involving one of those."

Danny gasps just a little, and he bites his lip. Fuck, that was hot. Why was that hot? Shit. Vlad shouldn't be this hot, but Danny can't focus on that right now. "A-anyway, um." He coughs, to make his voice stop trembling. "The interview went well? Miss Anderson is cool."

Daniel's reaction made Vlad worried. Had he taken the banter too far? Oh, of course he had. "As always, Miss Anderson is a lovely young woman who knows the rules and doesn't tend to overstep. She's a personal favorite, though I'm no fan of journalists." He grabs his glass of wine- it was a bit early, only one in the afternoon, but something about Daniel always made him crave alcohol- and takes a small sip.

Danny can't really help the way he watches Vlad drink his wine. He pretends he wasn't staring, as always. "Yeah, she's cool. I met another singer today, at least I think she's a singer? Have you ever heard of Sam Manson?"

Vlad grimaces, the sweet wine now tasting bitter. "Samantha Manson. Yes, I have heard of her. Met her too."

"She was kinda rude, but I think you two'd get along. She called me blah."

Vlad rolls his eyes. "She is a bright young woman who I approached several years back with an offer to join me and the company. She refused."

Danny snorts. "Wow. Did she hurt your feelings? Do you want me to kiss it better~?" Wait no stop flirting. Bad mouth this is a bad idea.

Vlad leans back. "She did not hurt my feelings, though a kiss from you is always appreciated, rising star Danny Phantom and light of my life." The latter half is said sarcastically, and Vlad really wants to dig a hole and fall into it. It will certainly get him to that hell jail faster.

Danny winces internally. Vlad was being sarcastic. Danny really was just weird and probably creepy. He doesn't let the hurt show, instead rolling his eyes and grinning at Vlad. "You love me, don't you?"

Vlad looks away, sighing. "I do not believe that I can answer that question in a way you will find satisfactory, Daniel." He says, all professional and businesslike. He truly doesn't know the answer to it, even if he did know what would please Daniel Fenton. No matter what the answer was, he'd never be able to answer it truthfully.

Danny pouts, taking it as the answer he expected; 'No'. "Yeah, I guess."

Vlad sips the wine again, looking at his desk for a long moment before he can muster the courage to look at the pouting teen again. "Anyways, the upcoming album. How close are you to completing it, and do you have the lyrics of the finished songs so that I may look them over? Just to make sure, as you know. You've been good about keeping the lyrics... In line, I suppose, but I must at least check. You know how it goes, no?"

Danny smiles a little, at the subject change. "They're mostly finished." He digs in his pocket for his USB stick. "Tuck and I just have one last song to finish, I'm a little iffy on it. I'll get you the lyrics when we're done with it. You have any preferences for cover art or anything?" He asks, as he hands the stick over.

Vlad hums as he takes the USB and connects it to his computer, opening the file on it. "The last album cover wasn't pastel enough for your aesthetic and didn't quite fit, I think you should look into either having this album have a similar cover, but more pastel, so that the last one doesn't seem so odd. Or, if you would rather take the album art more in that direction, you could get another piece like it, or you could continue the trend of separate aesthetics for each album. You do need to have a photoshoot done soon in whatever aesthetic the album cover is done in, so I would prefer you get it done quickly. There is also another option, where you take the pictures yourself, as is becoming popular, but if you do follow that route, you will need to sign some forms." Vlad sips the wine again, glad that he's back in the part of the meeting where he is comfortable.

Danny grunts. "I hate having my picture taken." He whines a little, flopping onto the desk pathetically. "Why does that have to be a thing? Can I make it not a thing? Can /you/ make it not a thing?"

Vlad rolls his eyes. "I thought your instagram and twitter were filled with pictures of yourself, Daniel? Did you have a sudden change of heart?"

"Those are taken by Tucker! He has permission to take pictures of me because at least I know they're coming from him and the really embarrassing ones will only be shared with like, Jazz. I hate having to sit still in some scratchy outfit and look at a camera for hours on end!"

"Were you aware that you can wear your own clothing to a photo shoot?" Vlad asks slowly. "It is an option, Daniel. You make the studio enough money by now that you can get away with wearing your own clothing to a photoshoot." He feels like he will regret that at some point. "Aesthetic and comfort do coincide."

Danny looks up, eyes wide. "Wait seriously?? So I could do a shoot in like, pajama pants and a t-shirt if I wanted??"

"In fact, that would be wonderful." Vlad glances up from the current song to flash Daniel a smile. "Many of these lyrics here have an aesthetic that would be perfect with a pajama photoshoot. Just make sure the pajama pants have a pattern that complies with your image and that the t-shirt is not dirty or offensive, and you can do it. I would like to suggest a pastel background, perhaps a candy store, or a city street on a nice, slightly cloudy day. If you use the right filters and a good quality camera it could be one of your most successful shoots in quite a while."

Danny bounces. "When can we do that? Can we do that tomorrow?? That sounds /awesome/!"

Vlad nods. "You can make an excursion of it, if you'd like, bring Mr. Foley. I have been meaning to restock my sweets drawer, if you'd like to bring me anything."

Danny bounces a little more. "Yeah! Yeah that's awesome! Okay, thanks Vlad!" Without really thinking about he, he hops out of his chair to hug his producer, which probably wasn't his smartest move. Considering what he'd realized less than ten minutes ago. Already did it, though, so might as well own it.

Vlad's eyes widen in surprise, but he wraps an arm around Daniel's waist nevertheless. "You're welcome, will your friend be the photographer or do you want an official one? And," He raises his phone and checks an e-mail from Samantha Manson's manager. "If you would like to invite Samantha Manson, you may. She seems to taken an interest."

Danny nods, stepping back and grinning. "Sure, that'd be cool. Thanks Vlad, you're the best." Danny hums. "Tuck can take the pictures, do you think Manson will want to?"

"Perhaps? Despite her choice in clothing and makeup, her aesthetic and yours do mesh quite well, especially if you decide that you will follow my suggestion and will do the shoot on a well lit city street, a candy store, perhaps even the children's area in a park. Does your friend have a quality of camera that is up to the studio's standards?"

Danny can't help but /look/ at Vlad. "It's Tucker."

"And I do not personally know Mr. Foley the way I know you, Daniel." Vlad looks up at Danny, having remained in his seat and now being at a lower vantage point than he would have preferred, and can't help but think about how intimate of a tone he had taken with slight worry.

Danny rolls his eyes. "Tuck's obsessed with tech, Vladdie. Of course he's got a high-quality camera." He smiles a little.

Vlad nods. "Alright. Do you want the USB back before you leave, or do you have your own copy of them? I have not looked the lyrics over fully yet, but I will contact you if I have questions."

"Tuck's got all the lyrics and stuff on his stuff, that USB's yours 'til you don't need it anymore." Danny grins. "That all you need?"

Vlad hums thoughtfully. "Perhaps? We are considering setting up another tour soon, but not for at least a few more months. It was suggested to me that during lulls in your activity you drop singles, rather than work on full albums, but I wasn't sure if the idea would appeal to you."

Danny thinks, before shrugging. "Maybe? I'll think about it. Thanks again, Vlad." He smiles a little.

Vlad nods. "Have a good day, and be safe Daniel, alright?"

"Of course." Danny is so tempted to lean forward and kiss Vlad's cheek or something.

Vlad smiles up at Daniel, waiting for him to leave. That doesn't mean he really wants him to, and the entire meeting feels too short, but he's not one to keep someone longer than he should.

Danny bites his lip, and turns toward the door. "See you, Vlad."

Vlad nods. "Same to you."

Danny grins, and walks out. "Bye..." He mumbles. He feels weird, the excitement from earlier gone and he's just sort of left feeling... Weird.

Vlad lifts the wineglass for a sip, but finds it empty. He sets the glass back down and goes back to looking over the lyrics.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam hadn't actually expected for Danny Phantom's producer to get back in touch with her manager as quickly as he did, but then she was invited to an amateur photosoot the next day, just Danny, his friend, and her. The idea of getting a break like that seemed too good to be true. She gets out of the car on the sidewalk, looking around for them and holding her phone in one hand, ready to call her driver the second something went wrong. She looks good, with hair pulled into a loose, messy braid on the left side and her usual makeup done up, along with a black and white striped crop top, floor length skirt that had a slit up the left side to just under where her underwear stopped, and a pair of combat boots. At her mother's insistence, she'd also snagged a leather purse, and is now regretting all the black. There's a nice breeze, but the heat isn't something so easily ignored. Sam groans softly, hoping that this wasn't some prank.

Danny waves from his seat at an outdoor table at a café, grinning. "Hey Manson! Over here!" His bedhead sticks out in every direction, and his t-shirt is big and baggy, slipping off one shoulder. It's white and has a stupid old logo in red, his pants are red and white too, fuzzy pajama pants that hide his sock-and-sandal clad feet. 

Tucker is inside, grabbing his and Danny's preferred coffee orders.

Sam blinks and heads over to him, standing next to the chair on his right. "So... Um. What are you supposed to be?"

Danny grins. "I was given a choice to choose my own outfit for the shoot today." He giggles a little, and then Tucker is there with his coffee, and he can enjoy that and the muffin.

Sam takes a few seconds to think that over before she sits down with them. "Okay. Am I overdressed or something? Is this payback for being salty yesterday?"

Danny laughs. "No, you're fine~" He sips his coffee, still smiling. "You were a little rude, but I assumed it was because you were annoyed at being forced to do an interview. I know I hate those things, s'why I make up a bunch of my answers. Not that you can prove it." He adds, grinning.

She raises an eyebrow. "You made up those answers? Seriously? I can never think of a good lie in time."

"Some of them. It's sorta to piss of my producer, Vlad's an ass." Danny admits.

Tucker snorts. "Anderson caught you off guard with one of those questions, though. That was funny to watch."

"Was the one about um, preferences?" Sam asks, pulling her purse around into her lap and putting the phone into it. "I watched the interview later and it was crazy. Both of you did really well."

Danny grins. "I kinda pissed her off, too. It's fun to piss off journalists." Danny giggles. "Thanks, though."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, but she was in a good mood at the start of my interview. I fixed that."

"This makes me think I should look into your interview." Danny snickers. "Didn't have time, yesterday, but."

Sam chuckled. "I don't think she likes me very much. By the end of the interview she barely wanted to talk to me."

"She likes me, even if I piss her off." Danny sing-songs. "I'm a delight, ain't I, Tuck~?"

Tucker snorts.

Sam glances over at him. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm Sam Manson, what's your name?" She offers him a hand, not wanting to be too rude.

Tucker grins, winking. "Tucker Foley, nice to meet you." He shakes her hand.

Sam nods. "Nice to meet you too. So, when does the photoshoot part of this start? Do we have a location?" She glances at Danny.

Danny glances up from where he's bitten into his muffin. "Mmm?"

Tucker rolls his eyes. "It'll start when we're done eating. This street is the location."

She blinks. "What, like, blocking the street? I don't get it. Is there a set or something, or is it just, like, whatever?"

Danny swallows. "Tuck's gonna take pictures of me doing stuff. You can chip in too, and be part if you want." Danny grins. "We're doing whatever we want."

Sam smiled. "Really? Whatever you want?"

"Yeah." Danny chews on his muffin.

"Only thing we can't do is something crude. No bad words or body language." Tucker warns.

She glances at him. "Why? That's a dumb rule."

Danny shrugs. "Take it up with Vlad." He sips his coffee. "It's his rule."

Sam hums. "Does it only work on people he's signed? Because I'm not under his control, and I'll bet you aren't either." She points at Tucker.

Tucker chuckles. "Well, I can curse if I want to, but if we want to use the pictures they'll have to be PG."

"Maybe we can take a few pictures that won't be used? Just for us?" She glances at them. "A photoshoot without a few joke shots isn't a photoshoot."

Danny grins. "Yeah." 

Tucker hums. "You're right."

Sam nods. "Besides, I don't have any plans today. Do either of you two have plans?"

"Just the shoot?" Danny offers. 

Tucker shrugs. "Our schedule's clear today."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a bit of a time-skip  
> it's a year after the last chapter  
> we might add a chapter about the photoshoot between this one and the last one  
> we'll see

Danny bounces into Vlad's office, humming to himself. He slides into his seat, grinning. "Heeeyyyyy, Vladdie... how're you doing?"

Vlad looks up at Danny, smiling at him and pulling his glasses off, glad at the break from staring at the seventeen page email that he'd barely made a dent in. "Daniel, thank you for joining me. I'm doing wonderfully, and yourself?"

Danny's grin widens. "I'm doing pretty okay... we have a meeting scheduled, right?"

Vlad nods. "I believe so. It's mostly just checking in with you. I received the recordings of the songs, and everything is prepared for the album. We decided it would be beneficial to simply drop it, no hype, since you seem like you want the album out as quickly as possible, and we agree."

Danny nods. "Great. There's a thing I wanted to ask you, though..."

Vlad's eyebrows rise and he suddenly feels very thirsty. "Hm?"

"Well, I turned 18 last month, and I know the contract was established just before I turned 16, so I understand that it wasn't really supposed to restrict me, but uh... Am I seriously gonna have to keep the whole pop thing going for 2 more years?"

Vlad blinks, dropping the cautious expression for a confused one. "Yes? It was a contract, Daniel, a legally binding one."

Danny whines. "I know, but. 5 years is too long! I'm running out of ideas here!"

"If you need ideas you can ask for help. You can take breaks. You can do covers of other songs." Vlad suggests.

Danny groans. "But Vlaaaaaddd, I can't do that for two years straight! And my popularity's definitely gonna go down if I don't keep some semblance of... whatever! Come on, can I at least have a loosening on the subjects my songs can be about?"

"Daniel, you are already practically breaching the contract with the subjects of your songs. Many of your fans are too young to hear more suggestive content, I thought you understood that?"

Danny groans. "Most of my fans are girls aged 15-18, Vlad. Yeah, there're some outliers, but my main demographic is aging- just like I did- and the confines of the contract are making it hard to keep churning out the new content. C'mon, I'm an adult and a majority of my fanbase is too."

"I'm sorry, I wish I could change the contract, but I am not allowed to alter it or propose a new one until the old contract ends." Vlad shakes his head.

"Vlaaaaad, come onnnn. There's gotta be somethin' you can do, you're... Vlad Masters! Don't you have like, the ability to do whatever you want?"

Vlad shrugs. "I really don't have that ability, Daniel, I'm more restricted in what I can do, specifically within the company, than you think."

"Oh come on! That's gotta be BS! People makes exceptions for you, I've seen it!"

"Even if you seen these so-called 'exceptions', there is nothing I can do against a contract, Daniel." Vlad leans back, starting to get a headache. He almost wishes he could return to the email.

Danny whines again, and slumps forward. "There's gotta be /something/, I mean, you're... and... fuck, why do I like you...?" 

It takes Danny exactly five seconds to realize he said that last part loud enough to be heard. He grabs his mouth as soon as he realizes as much, and tries valiantly to melt into his seat.

When the last few words Danny said registers in Vlad's mind, his widen and he sucks in a breath, pushing up the fabric covering one arm and murmuring, "This is a dream, and I am going to hell jail for it."

Danny looks up, tilting his head a little. "Wait, what do you mean this is a dream?"

"This must be a dream, Daniel would never confess, I am just a filthy old man who must have fallen asleep at my desk." He pinches his forearm and winces, but looks around and finds nothing to have changed and gains a panicked expression. "This is a dream, correct? It has to be."

Danny stares at Vlad for a second. "No? I like you." He doesn't really know how to feel.

Vlad blinks. "You... you do? And you're sure this is not a dream?"

"Yeah. Wait, did you just say hell jail?"

Vlad blushes. "Um, yes I did? That doesn't- Daniel, are you serious about liking me?"

"Yes?" Danny bites his lip. "Sorry."

Vlad sucks in another breath. "What are your, um, intentions? With this?"

Danny blinks, and frowns. "Intentions? What do you mean?"

"Like, what do you want out of this? Out of, out of me?" Vlad pushes himself out of his chair slowly, beginning to pace and wring his hands. "Do you want a relationship? A one night stand? A modification to your contract?"

Danny stares up at him. "A relationship would be cool. A one night stand would be okay, I guess... And uh. I was just, uh, arguing for a modification of the contract. Were you paying attention?"

"I was, trust me, but. You already know I cannot do anything on the contract front, and I don't believe you'd want a one night stand with me. Perhaps... Are you sure you would actually want a relationship? You are aware of my age, correct?"

Danny stares at him. "Uh... duh?"

"But like, you're very clearly aware of it, correct?"

"Yes. But I like you? I don't really care."

Vlad blushes further, pausing and looking at Daniel. "And you are aware that, because of my age, there would be quite a scandal, correct?"

"Probably? I don't really care what other people think?"

"You would likely have to keep us a secret until your twenty first birthday, in order to avoid media backlash, since I don't want you to be on the wrong side of that. It isn't... Fun." He swallows. "Daniel, are you sure about this?"

"Yes." Danny nods. "Yes, I am."

Vlad breathes out. "Well, if you would to try, would you like to join me for dinner in my penthouse this evening?"

Danny nods immediately. "Yes!" He grins, and jumps up to hug Vlad.

Vlad slowly wraps his arms around Danny's back, closing his eyes and sighing in relief.

"Can I kiss you?" Danny asks quietly.

Vlad opened his eyes and pulls back a bit. "You... If you want to?"

Danny leans up on his tiptoes and tries to kiss Vlad's face.

Vlad bends down, noticing Danny's struggle.

Danny kisses him, humming softly. He hugs Vlad a little harder.

Vlad smiles into the kiss, pulling Danny closer to him and softly moving his lips against Danny's.

Danny grins into the kiss, pressing up as close as he can. "Mmm..."

Vlad starts to lightly rub Danny's back with one hand, tilting his head to one side.

Danny hums a little more, pulling back to smile up at Vlad as wide as he can.

Vlad almost follows Danny down, but pulls back, blushing more. "Sorry Daniel."

Danny giggles, and nuzzles Vlad's chest.

Vlad leaned down, pressing a kiss to Danny's hair.

Danny hugs Vlad a bit tighter, humming again. He pulls back after a few seconds. "Um, is there anything else we need to talk about?"

"Maybe? Do you want to tell people about... Us?" Vlad asks, starting to get more nervous.

"Um. Tucker?"

Vlad nods. "I will not stop you from telling people, as long as you promise that the people that you tell are people that you trust."

Danny nods. "Tucker's safe. He didn't tell you about it before today, so he can keep a secret."

Vlad smiled and shrugged. "If you trust him. It is not up to me who you tell, Daniel, for the trust must all be your own. I will not tell you who to or not to tell."

Danny nods. "Okay." He pulls away completely, bouncing. "What else do we need to do?"

"Well. We could decide how we far we are wanting to go, I guess, but first we really must have that dinner, you know?" Vlad smiles nervously. "I should be off around four o'clock, and I would love to cook for you."

Danny nods excitedly. "Okay. Um, I've never uh, been to your place. How do I..."

"I can have Valerie drive you, if you like? She knows the way." Vlad offers.

Danny nods. "Yeah, thanks Vlad~"

Vlad pushes Danny's bangs back to give him a kiss on the forehead. "It is no problem, Daniel."

Danny laughs, tugging his wig back into place. "I'm glad. Have a good day?"

Vlad nods. "I'll see you later, alright? Do you have my cell phone number?"

Danny nods. "Yeah? I think so..." Danny pulls out his phone, offering it to Vlad so the older man can check.

Vlad scrolls through it, but doesn't find any contacts labeled 'Vlad' or 'Producer'. To make sure, he starts typing in his number, and raises an eyebrow at the contact name it is listed under. "Really?" He asks, showing it to Danny.

Danny snickers. "Of course. I forgot I named you Fruitloop. It's cute."

Vlad hands Danny his phone. "If you wish to believe that, Daniel. Now, I'm sorry, but I do have work to do. I hope you don't think I am kicking you out, for I truly am not, but I do have quite a bit to do." He gives Danny a quick kiss on the hair before showing him to the door.

Danny nods. "'Course. I didn't mean to keep you. Have a good day!" Danny waves, grinning.

Vlad waves back, unable to believe his luck at the moment. Well, he's also concerned about hell jail, but less now that he knows the attraction is mutual.


End file.
